Alpha Chi Abroad: Hannah Nicholson

I remember being a little five year old girl girl dreaming about skipping off to England to marry a Prince Charming. I would dance around my living room in my prettiest dress and make my little sister play Prince. She would have to chase me around until I finally agreed to marry her. Luckily, I was the oldest, so I never had to be the man in the relationship. I even got the privilege of denying her my hand in marriage a few times. As fairy tale as this all sounds, however, many girls in Alpha Chi actually get to live my dream of frolicking about in Europe. They bring the values and standards of Alpha Chi with them all over the world, and they get to share with other cultures what it means to be a woman of Alpha Chi Omega. This series of posts will feature different women of Alpha Kappa who have had the amazing experience of studying abroad in a foreign country. First off is senior Hannah Nicholson who studied abroad in Seville Spain.

When I started college at the University of Oregon, I had two goals: join a sorority, and study abroad. I didn't at all think that these would eventually go hand in hand and that one would give me the strength and courage to accomplish the other.

Hannah and Annie in Rome!

I arrived in Seville, Spain, in January 2011, what would have been Winter term of my junior year in college, and was absolutely petrified. I thought I'd made a mistake and didn't know how I'd survive four months without my car, my cell phone, and of course, my friends. It wasn't even 24 hours before I received my first message from a sister back in Oregon asking about my trip and telling me how much I was missed. Naturally, this made me miss home even more, but encouraged me to really take advantage of the opportunity that was in front of me.

My time abroad was spent absorbing the Spanish culture (and language), as well as traveling all over Europe. I put myself out there and met some incredible people and saw some once in a lifetime places. One of the highlights of my trip was meeting up with a fellow sister in Rome for our spring break and talking all about our incredible individual experiences abroad. It was amazing that though we hadn't seen each other in months, we could pick up right where we left off. In the end, I was sad to leave Oregon and all my sisters, but I learned that I never really left them, and they were there every step of the way; commenting on my pictures, liking my statuses, and wishing me a happy 21st birthday. I couldn't have made it through my time there without my sisters, and am so grateful that they encouraged me to go on this adventure and have these experiences.

What an amazing experience Hannah had! She pushed herself out of her box and had a life changing experience in Spain. However, it is reassuring that, even when she was across the world, she stayed true to what it means to be an Alpha Chi and that she didn't completely forget about us back here in Eugene. I guess the phrase "absence makes the heart grow fonder" definitely applies when the sisters of Alpha Chi Omega are apart. Keep looking for more posts featuring different study abroad experiences!

"A thing is mighty big when time and distance cannot shrink it." - Zora Neale Hurston

LITB,

Chrissy Hardesty